Stop-And-Frisk: Out Of 1,324 Local Searches At Sheepshead-Nostrand Houses, Zero Guns Are Found

WNYC took it upon themselves to map all of the street stops – a.k.a. stop and frisks – using information from the police department showcasing where guns were recovered last year, since firearm control has been the primary justification for the controversial tactic. The map reveals that, in Sheepshead Bay, the NYPD has turned up no firearms in the areas in which NYPD has concentrated its use of stop-and-frisk tactics.

In Sheepshead Bay, police made 1,324 stops in the Sheepshead Bay-Nostrand Housing projects. Yet only two guns were found in the 61st Precinct’s command, and neither were in the vicinity of the projects.

Two guns were found, however; one at the Log Cabin at 2123 Avenue Z, and the other during a random sidewalk stop near the Kings Bay fields, at Voorhies Avenue and Bragg Street.

Public Advocate and mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio has been saying that stop-and-frisk needs reform because it fosters a distrust between citizens and police officials. Others note that it is a major waste of public resources.

Those sentiments have been echoed by Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, also a mayoral candidate. Stringer points out that the city is on track to stop and frisk more than 700,000 people this year, of which 85 percent are black and Latino males. Yet only seven percent of stops lead to an arrest, and less than one percent for gun-related charges.

Further, legal advocacy groups like the New York Civil Liberties Union deem stop-and-frisk as “racial profiling.”

An NYCLU analysis revealed that New Yorkers (mostly black or Latino) have been subjected to police stops and street interrogations more than 4 million times since 2002, and that nearly nine out of 10 stopped-and-frisked New Yorkers were innocent.

Commissioner Raymond Kelly and Mayor Michael Bloomberg say that stop-and-frisk is meant to get illegal guns out of the streets and criminals behind bars.

“You hear all the time from people who don’t like stop-and-frisk. But you know what people really hate in New York City, and always have? Guns,” said Kelly.

Current data shows that out of 685,000 stops in 2011, about 770 guns were recovered. This means that only one tenth of one percent of all stops resulted in cops finding a gun.

Supporters of the stop-and-frisk procedures say that the police concentrate their hubs of activity where violent crimes are most often reported, and that it is crime, not gun recoveries, which determine where police officers go. Also, because police saturate certain areas, this becomes a deterrent for carrying a firearm.

Similar results to those found at the Sheepshead-Nostrand Houses were also found at the Marlboro Houses, as well as areas citywide in which the city focuses its stop-and-frisk efforts.

Results speak for themselves. NYPD strategy has to change since it is ineffective and appears to border on racial profiling.
Essentially what I recently wrote: http://www.sheepsheadbites.com/2012/07/op-ed-stop-and-frisk-in-need-of-repair-and-reform/

Alex

How is it bad news if most crime come from places that is majority black residents. Its time for the black residents take a stand and prove that they can live without shooting. Nostrand Ave projects? majority black. Coney Island projects? majority black. Marlboro projects? majority black. Prison system? majority black? welfare? majority black? living rent-free projetcs? majority blacks?

Arthur Borko

Tell that to the people trying to use Mccarren Park.
30 years it was closed because of violence. It finally reopens and they can’t go a single day without a violent riot caused by neighborhood hooligans..

People need to take responsibility for themselves and their communities despite their race!

Kool4Coney

it is very sad to watch what is happening at the new McCarren park Pool but the number of people who are causing the problems there is miniscule compared to the overall number of people who now use that facility…

EyesWideOpen

“Despite their race”??

Perhaps instead of broadly demonizing a group of people- we make an effort to understand why “hooligans” are acting the way they are and come together to finally support/educate/feed the communities where said “hooligans” come from. Perhaps these kids are a product of their environment and their environment is a product of racism and neglect. I’m so sick of people complaining about a pattern of behavior while not bothering to question why others act the way they do. It’s obnoxious to imply that a group of people are just incapable of “taking responsibility”. Clearly, it’s not that simple.

Guest

In 2011, 770 guns were found due to the policy. That’s not a small amount in my mind, despite what the writer claims. You have to figure that at least a couple of shootings were avoided when you take away 770 guns.

Alex

Just 770 guns. That is 770 guns too many. Also, just 7% arrested got arrested, that is 7% too many.

Next time you get robbed, call the NYCLU. Again you have no real substantive strategy to deal with gun violence. You can fault NYPD for many things-pointless marijuana enforcement, silly beer and bicycle summonses, summons quotas, downgrading felonies to cook the ebooks. But it’s more diverse than it’s ever been and probably way more diverse than the legal eagles at the NYCLU. Again, it’s always easier to pretend the bigger problem in the inner city is the mythical evil whitey the cop instead of the residents themselves.

Simply if you do not want the cops to be assigned there, that that’s a big problem, say that and cut this nonsense-and let chaos ensue. But remember when it goes to hell you asked for it.. Because again you offer nothing substantive to address the real problem of gun violence beside empty platitudes and discredited liberal gibberish. But it’s sounds kinda cool.

vintagejames

Part of the article states–“that nearly nine out of 10 stopped-and-frisked New Yorkers were innocent.” Okay, 90% were innocent. That means that 10% were not. Clearly, stop-and-frisk is working.

While I have no position on stop-and-frisk, it is worth noting that the vast majority of those arrests are not for guns, despite the NYPD’s justification for the policy. Many are for low-level marijuana possession.

Oh, and others can be for outstanding warrants for, say, a failure to appear in court for another minor violation.

Bugg

It’s a very fair point to note simple possession of small amounts of marijuana is merely a violation in NY state, not a crime. That grealty limits the ability of any cop to say he saw criminality allowing probable cause for a search, because it’s not criminal.”Stop and frisk” is a misnomer,because many stops do not entail a search or evena frisk. Sadly too many NYPD cops could not articulate such legal distinctions so it’s easier to stop as many people as possible. This seems like a lost point to many members of NYPD, and it wastes a great deal of police manpower and resources dealing with trivial nonsense.

That is a far cry from acknowledhing there are a lot of bad guys loitering on inner city streets that may be carrying guns, and that it’s good police work to stop them if a police office can in fact srticulate a good and legal reason to do so. And again when you point out that over 95 percent of shooters and victims are minorities, such police work saves the lives of exactly such people.

As to warrants in theory failure to appear for even a violation is always at least a misdemeanor and therefore de facto criminality(Article 215 of the NY Penal Law). Make your court appearances or else!If you are stupid enough not to go to court, you are a dumb bastard.

Nope

It may be that stop and frisk didn’t find much guns in the sheepsheadbay nostrand projects, however, it doesn’t explain the shootings going on over there. The shooters are probably better at hiding the guns or can see when cop cars are coming from a mile away and will hide the guns somehow.

Kool4Coney

stop and frisk isnt working if, as you say “the shooters are better at hiding the guns” which means innocent people are being harrassed and certain ethnic and racial groups are being considered GUILTY until frisked.

Sharon

No it doesn’t border on racism. If you ask actual people who lived in these communities in the per Giuliani ere there opinion is a bit different. You can not just look at numbers and draw conclusions . Most areas with high crime are black and Hispanic public supported welfare class areas where there also is a very low concentration of two parent families and loving relationships .

Reduced guns and knives on the streets equals reduced violence with guns and knives. The mere threat of being searched equals want a bees not carry guns and knives. The mere fact that most stops result in no guns found is a very good thing not a bad thing.

Are you even old enough to remember growing up in the 1980’s. Every too bit want a bee punk carried a knife or a gun and a paint ball marker. Gun shots broke out a happy occasions ala the gun shots at Rucker park earlier in the week. Parents kept thier kids cooped up in the houses for fear of getting shotor knifes

I love all these know nothing activists who just have an ideology and then look for a cause to protest.

Facts black and Hispanics living in these areas benefit far more the. They are hurt. Quite frankly I prefer the nypd dedicate the police resource to my area to go after minor stuff such as littering jay walking, bike theft and a bigger police presence in marine park,

Sharon

The promoter who stages the yearly basketball tournament has already said he is moving the tournament. If each and every person knew they would be searched on entry there would have been no one would have dared bring a gun. Those are the facts. Stop and frisk stops people from carrying gu s. I much rather people get searched and throw punches instead of pulling out a gun

Also each and everyone who enters big clubs gets frisked.

I don’t know why they do not use portable metal detectors that are less obtrusive. I am not so Interested In finding pot.

It is people like you who make the nice people live in fear. The facts are simple, when black andnhispanics do well the get out as fast as they can and move out of state.